


A Late Afternoon in the Neighborhood

by Elayna



Series: The Detective and the Woobie 'Verse [13]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe, Don't copy to another site, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:42:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27085765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elayna/pseuds/Elayna
Summary: Colonel Sheppard learns once again that life can be surprising, and how his might have gone differently.
Relationships: Rodney McKay/John Sheppard
Series: The Detective and the Woobie 'Verse [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/7573
Comments: 32
Kudos: 96





	A Late Afternoon in the Neighborhood

**Author's Note:**

> I fluffed past the science/logic of how the team gets where they get and how they get back. We're in a pandemic, I'm stressed, and dealing with that aspect just wasn't what I wanted to write about. If that's likely to bother you, please don't read. Or read but don't complain at me. Socially distanced air kisses to Seaward for the betaing and helpfulness.

Colonel John Sheppard was a little surprised at the very suburban appearance of the two-story house, with its well-maintained lawn and lush rose bushes along one side. As far as he knew, his Rodney had only ever lived in apartments as an adult. He knocked firmly on the door, knowing that Rodney might still be at work. They'd head to Ferris next if no one answered, but he was hoping to keep this accidental visit low-key. To his surprise, Rodney yelled, "Just a minute." The Colonel glanced back at Ronon, giving him an encouraging thumbs up. Even if this Rodney wasn't a workaholic like theirs, hopefully he'd still have the knowledge to get this fixed. 

The door was yanked wide, Rodney standing in the opening. "John! Did you forget your keys?" He didn't bother waiting for an answer, cupping a hand around the back of the Colonel’s neck and giving him a warm 'welcome home' kiss. 

Rodney looked exactly like his Rodney, except that wow, he'd never have guessed any Rodney would be such a good kisser. The Colonel let himself sink into the kiss, Rodney's tongue insistently invading his mouth, before firmly reminding himself that Rodney wasn't kissing **him** , but his John. The Colonel was enjoying this kiss under false pretenses, and his alternate self might very well be pissed at him taking advantage of Rodney's misperception. 

A shrill beeping noise began, and Rodney broke away. "Cookies are ready." He released his hold and darted away. The Colonel stumbled a little, and looked helplessly at Ronon. 

The Satedan's only answer was to shrug his shoulders. "We found him."

Right. They were looking for this Earth's Rodney, and they'd found him. The kiss was irrelevant. The Colonel walked into the house, finding a comfortable living room and no Rodney. Noises from the back said he was taking cookies out of the oven. "He bakes?" The only meal his Rodney knew how to prepare was an MRE.

Ronon sniffed. "Smells good. Chocolate chip." 

"Hi Dad," said a light voice behind him, and the Colonel whirled to see a young boy walking into the house. From his blue eyes and the shape of his nose and mouth, this was clearly Rodney's kid. 

"Dad?" The Colonel questioned, startled. This kid was Rodney's. And Rodney had kissed him like it was a standard habit. He and Rodney had a kid together? 

"Sheppard," Ronon said, jerking his head toward one wall, even as the kid flinched. 

“I thought that was okay now," the kid said in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, just—" The Colonel turned his head to see what had caught Ronon's attention. Pictures over the mantle, a whole display like their Rodney's display of his diplomas and cat on Atlantis. Rodney, John and the kid featured prominently, but there also were a few with a blond woman. 

"I can stick to Uncle John. If that's what you'd rather I said." 

The kid's shoulders were slightly scrunched, his mouth downturned into a frown. "No, that's—" Damn, he'd hurt the kid's feelings, and he didn't even know his name. "Look, it's complicated." 

"These are the best chocolate chip cookies in the world," Rodney announced, entering the living room, "If I do say so myself. And I will." He held out a plate with cookies on it, his other hand holding a cookie that he was eating. 

Ronon grabbed one, munching it down in three bites. "Delicious."

Rodney beamed with pleasure at Ronon. "Not that you're ever hard to please." His smile turned into a frown. "John, why are you home early? And why are you wearing—" He paused, sending a quick nervous glance at the kid before returning his attention to the Colonel. "That uniform? Has O'Neill been after you again? I told them to leave you alone!" 

"Look, Rodney—" 

"Timmy, get behind me." 

Damn, was he in _A Night at the Opera_? Marx Brothers' movies were funny, but the Colonel didn't want to be in one. He swung around to see himself standing in the doorway. This Earth's himself, of course, who was wearing a black suit jacket, a grey shirt, blue jeans, and boots. His gun was pointed at the Colonel and Ronon, obviously perceiving them as a threat. 

The Colonel held his hands out, placatingly, even as Ronon whipped out his gun, aiming it at John. 

"Timmy, get behind me! Rodney, go out the back." 

"Ronon, put it away." The Colonel gave his best 'calm the natives' smile. "Look, we're not here to hurt you. We're here to ask for help." 

Timmy moved to stand behind John, his small hands clutching at his jacket. 

"For help? Looking like our doppelgangers? Maybe you want to replace us." 

"You're from an alternate universe! From a universe where—" Rodney stopped speaking again, looking at Timmy. 

"Ronon, put your gun away!" The Colonel sharpened his tone and glared at Ronon, who gave him a mutinous look but holstered it. 

"From a universe where Uncle John left the Air Force to join the secret space program instead of the police force," Timmy said softly. 

John's body relaxed once Ronon's gun was no longer pointed at him, but he only lowered his gun a few inches, keeping it in his hands and pointed at the Colonel. "Maybe it's the mirror universe and you're an evil me." 

"Timmy, you're not supposed to know—" 

"He's a smart kid, Rodney." 

Alternate him and Rodney arguing over what the kid should know was disconcerting, especially since his alternate seemed to consider himself one of Timmy's dads. "Yes," the Colonel inserted, trying to get the conversation back on the track he needed it to be on. "We're from an alternate universe. We are not here to replace you or hurt you or do anything bad to you. We're good guys, and we need help to get back to our universe, so we came to the smartest man we know. You are an astrophysicist and know about Ancients and the Stargate program, right? Those things exist here?"

This Rodney was very definitely like his own. The Colonel could see the pleasure in the compliment warring with concern about Timmy's presence. Not that his Rodney had a kid, but he definitely had the ability to mentally multi-task, seeing both intriguing possibilities and messy problems at the same time. "Yes," Rodney answered shortly. 

"How do we know you're only here for help?" John asked, making the Colonel sigh. 

"Ronon put his gun away, I didn't pull mine out. What more do you want?" 

“Let’s start with how much we’re alike. Best musician ever?”

The Colonel reminded himself that he'd been suspicious on a few occasions. Being a little suspicious was wise. “Johnny Cash, the Man In Black. Best football play?”

“Hail Mary, when Roger Staubach threw an improbable 50-yard pass, resulting in a touchdown and winning the game for the Cowboys. The cardinal rule?"

"Leave no man behind. Best thing to do?”

“Most of my life, I would have said to fly.”

Alternate him had found something better than flying? “And now?”

“Se--being with Rodney. And Timmy.” John took his left hand off his gun, draping his arm over Timmy's shoulders, and giving him a rough, sideways hug. "Having a family."

The Colonel flinched a little, realizing that John had stopped himself from saying 'sex with Rodney,' because Rodney's son was in the room. He tried to not think about how long he’d wanted Rodney, to kiss him, to hold him, to spend long, luxurious hours making love to him. And this version of himself knew. "My team is my family, and I'd like to get them home."

"Them? There are more than just you two?"

"There's three of us. We left Teyla with the puddle jumper at a park two blocks over and walked. We found Rodney by searching your Internet." 

"You know Rodney, but he's not here with you?" 

Ronon snorted with his own particular brand of humor, making the Colonel glare at him before speaking. "Rodney's on my team, but we were supposed to be on an easy mission. He chose to spend the day elsewhere. And then things went sideways, and we really could have used him." 

"I'm on an Atlantis team? Exploring the Pegasus Galaxy?" 

Rodney seemed so awed by the thought of himself doing field work that he forgot his worries over what the kid would learn. The Colonel focused his attention on Rodney, because his genius was what he needed. "You were the first person I asked to be on my team. We're SGA-1. We've been going on missions for five years." 

"So why wasn't he with you today?" 

John's body language and lowered gun said he was relaxing, but suspicion died hard. The Colonel's answer was forestalled by Ronon's laconic, "He's hot on Keller." 

"Keller? Jennifer Keller? She's very pretty. And supposedly very intelligent for a doctor of voodoo."

"Wait, you know her?" 

Absentmindedly, Rodney picked up one of the cookies and began nibbling on it. "Yes, she was recruited recently, but she's not on Atlantis. But Teyla Emmagan is. She was one of the first Pegasus recruits." 

"We should let O'Neill know about this situation." 

Rodney nodded at John's suggestion. "Depending on how they got here, I might need Sam's help to get them home." 

"Great, more Sam," John muttered, but the Colonel was pleased to see that he holstered his gun, apparently accepting that they didn't pose a threat to his family. Watching himself was weird. This version didn't bother trying to tame the cowlicks either. And even though he and Rodney were together, he seemed to share his dislike of how Rodney could swoon over Sam.

“I brought a flash drive of all the flight specs,” the Colonel offered, pulling it out of his pocket and offering it to Rodney. “If your technology has these?”

“You’ve got an interface between the gate ship and a laptop?” Rodney took the drive. “Yes, we’ve got USBs.”

Gate ship? “Rodney had set it up, so we’d have a record for analysis.”

Rodney took the USB drive from him, so the Colonel snagged a cookie. Damn, they were good. Then this Rodney got that panicked look that the Colonel had seen so many times, usually just before his Rodney pulled a miracle out of his gorgeous ass. "We have to get you home right away!" 

"Yeah," the Colonel agreed, well aware of the problem. He'd thought it would be safe to find Rodney, since their Rodney wasn't with them, but he hadn't counted on running into himself. "Entropic cascade failure." 

"What's entropic cascade failure?" 

Rodney's face shifted fast from panicked to resolute yet horrified, his mouth an unhappy slash. "You seem to know, you explain it to him," he said, shoving the plate of cookies at the Colonel and turning to rush out of the living room. He paused, turning back for a quick, "John, can you finish the cookies? Timmy needs a dozen for a school thing tomorrow." 

"Yeah," John said, but Rodney was already out of the room. He gave a heavy sigh and jerked his head toward the back of the house. "Come on into the kitchen." He put a hand on Timmy's back, encouraging him to go first. 

This Rodney really did seem quite a lot like his Rodney. The Colonel hoped he was as smart. The technology level seemed similar to his Earth's, and the mentions of Atlantis and the Pegasus Galaxy meant that the Stargate program was successful here too. He and Ronon followed John and Timmy into the kitchen, sitting down at the table in the dining nook. Ronon claimed the seat in the corner of the room so that he had the full view of his surroundings. 

"Timmy, can you feed Einstein and Ginger? Keep Einstein outside."

"Sure, Uncle John." 

"Hey, thought I was going to be Dad too."

"Yes, I just—" 

The Colonel could see the hesitancy in Timmy's face before he smiled and stood straighter, answering, "Sure, Dad. I'll feed Einstein and Ginger." 

"Thanks." Timmy and John began moving around the kitchen, obviously comfortable with working together as Timmy got out pet food and bowls and John began dropping spoonfuls of cookie dough on a cookie tray. How long had John been married to Rodney? Clearly he was a newer addition to Rodney and Timmy's lives. 

John put a tray into the oven and set the timer. "You want a beer?" 

"Sure." Would it taste the same as theirs? 

John pulled out three beers, and popped off the caps, handing one to the Colonel and the other to Ronon, taking a long swig of his own as an orange tabby sauntered into the kitchen, giving a loud, "Meowr!" 

Timmy put a bowl of wet food down by the cat, before heading outside with another bowl. A dog barked happily from the backyard. 

The beer wasn't a brand the Colonel recognized, and better than he'd usually drunk when in the Air Force, but certainly of the quality that O'Neill sent to them in Atlantis. "Good beer," he said, adding, "You've got a dog?" He'd never owned a dog; being in the military wasn't all that conducive to having pets. 

"Yeah, got him from SPCA. He was an adult rescue, but he's been a great dog. He'd probably lick you to death if he came in." John leaned against the wall, studying them. The Colonel let himself study John in return. Was that really how he looked when he leaned? He'd never realized his own hips were so...slinky. 

"So if you were on a mission from Atlantis, in the Pegasus Galaxy, how'd you end up here?" 

"Atlantis is currently floating in the San Francisco Bay. We were testing engine modifications in our own solar system." 

"So it does fly. The city flies." 

"Yeah. It's a rush," the Colonel admitted. "Like...driving a semi at Mach 5. It's the most responsive machine I've ever flown, but it has so much inertia, you have to watch way ahead."

"It feels weird, like I shouldn't ask you anything, that it would be spoilers. Except it's not, right? You're from an alternate universe where things went differently, but somehow you and Ronon and Rodney still all ended up together." 

"Yeah." It did feel weirdly like it would be spoilers to learn about each other's lives, and yet it totally wouldn't be. "How did Ronon end up living here, if you weren't in the Pegasus Galaxy to rescue him from the Wraith?" 

John blinked, looking confused. "Ronon moved here from Hawaii, what does he have to do with the Pegasus Galaxy?"

The Colonel glanced at Ronon, mouthing, "Hawaii?" Ronon shrugged. The sliding glass door opened, Timmy standing in the gap. "Dad, Einstein really wants to come in." 

"No, Timmy. Come on in and leave him out there. We've got enough going on here." 

The door shut again, and the Colonel could see Timmy kneeling next to a shaggy dog, hugging him. 

"We probably shouldn't talk about Atlantis or the Stargate Program. Rodney's twitchy about what Timmy knows." 

The timer dinged, and John occupied himself with pulling cookies out of the oven. The smell was as delicious as the taste. 

"So Rodney bakes?" The Colonel asked, still amazed at the idea of Rodney in the kitchen. The team mostly ate their meals in the communal dining room on Atlantis, the food cooked by military chefs. What would it be like to come home to a meal cooked by Rodney, and eat with his husband and their son? 

"After his wife Marie died, her parents tried to take Timmy. Rodney—wasn't in a good place to be a single father. But he pulled himself together and learned what he needed to." 

Huh. The Colonel tried to imagine Rodney as a young single father, stressed from loss, and dealing with a young child. "And then you two—"

"I bought the house next door as a fixer-upper. Met Timmy. Then his dad." 

“So you’re gay in both universes,” Ronon said, more of a statement than a question.

The Colonel did a double take at Ronon. “Who said I was?”

Ronon gave him a knowing look. “Seen how you look at him when he’s not looking. Figured you were hot for him. I know I’m not supposed to ask.”

“You guys got 'don’t ask, don’t tell' too? That policy sucks. Having to lie all the time was one of the things that made me ready to get out of the Air Force.”

The Colonel hated the lying too, but he accepted it as a cost of being able to fly. He hadn't realized Ronon wasn't fooled. What did Teyla think? At least Rodney was completely oblivious. “It’s gone now, but it wouldn’t matter anyway. Our Rodney’s straight.”

John smiled fondly. “Yeah, our Rodney thought he was too. Until we started getting to know each other.”

“Then he realized he was bi?”

“Took a while, but yeah.” John waggled his eyebrows at the Colonel. “I bet your Rodney’s more open than you realize.”

He and Rodney had known each other for five years, and had been in countless dire situations with an extreme possibility of death. Surely if Rodney was bi, he would have revealed it by now. Wouldn’t he? “It doesn’t matter anyway. He’s hot on Keller.”

The timer binged, and John set down his beer, going to take the next tray out of the oven. “Does he realize you’re on offer? I love Rodney, but for such a smart man, he takes a while to get a clue about some things.”

This John...this John could casually say he loved Rodney, in front of strangers, even if one looked like him and another like his neighbor. The Colonel hadn't told anyone he'd loved them, not since his mother had died. He looked to Ronon. “We’re a team though. It could be bad for team dynamics if I tried and it didn’t work out.”

“Seen how he looks at you too, when he thinks you’re not looking.”

Timmy slipped back in, keeping the dog outside, as the noise of Rodney shouting drifted down the hallway. "Dad must have it figured out, how to get you home." 

Einstein gave a woof and sat down by the door, staring in the glass, tail thumping. 

"Only Carter thinks he's wrong." Having finished sliding cookies off the tray, John was beginning to drop more dough on. "Don't worry, they'll figure out how to get you home." 

"I'm counting on it." 

"Hey, what was that entropic cascade thing you and Rodney mentioned?"

Timmy took a seat at the table. "If someone crosses into an alternate reality, and they already exist there, they can have convulsions and die. But it wouldn't impact you, Dad. You're the original in this universe." 

The Colonel thought about mentioning Rod's visit, and Jeannie and Rodney's massive argument afterwards, over why Rod never had convulsions, but decided against it. He was hoping he'd be similarly lucky, but he'd like to get home quickly and not ever find out one way or the other. 

"Are you supposed to know about that?"

"I read all of Dad's published papers. And uncle Radek's and Sam's. They've discussed it as a theoretical possibility." 

"You've got your father's brains," the Colonel said, not surprised that Rodney's young son would be smart. 

"Mom was a scientist too. She was a botanist." 

“Rodney married a botanist?” The Colonel couldn’t hide the disbelief in his tone, and could see the irritation in John’s flinty expression.

John curled his fingers over Timmy’s shoulder. “Marie was a lovely and intelligent woman. I wish I’d had the chance to meet her.” 

“Yeah,” the Colonel agreed hastily, remembering the ‘tragic death’ part of Marie’s story. “I’m sure she was amazing,” he said to Timmy, softening his voice.

And then look, the Marx Brothers thing hadn't ended, because Jack O'Neill and Samantha Carter walked in from the living room. "General, Colonel," the Colonel said, standing to attention and snapping a salute. 

"At ease, Colonel." Jack glanced between the Colonel and John, slapping his hands together and rubbing them. "An alternate Sheppard, good times!" 

"General," Sam said warningly, looking at Timmy. 

"I guess I should go do my homework in my bedroom." Despite making the offer, Timmy looked like he hoped it wouldn’t be accepted. 

Rodney barreled into the kitchen. "I told you that I could handle this," he said, as Teyla spoke in their earpieces, "John, Ronon, a group of people are beginning to practice for a match. I feel our hiding place could be discovered." 

Too much happening too fast. The Colonel wished they could stay longer. “We gotta go. The ship’s parked in an area that’s about to be used.”

“And I think we’re ready?” Jack looked at Sam and Rodney, who looked at each other, the scientific techno-babble almost floating in the air between them. 

“Yes, we’ll walk back to the ship with you and program in the course you’ll need to take,” Rodney said. 

“I knew I could count on you,” the Colonel said, downing the last of his beer and standing, Ronon doing the same.

"But cookies first? Or on the way?" Jack lamented, drifting over to stand by the ones cooling on the rack. "You make the best desserts, McKay." 

"We need a dozen for tomorrow," Rodney protested, as Jack looked at him wistfully. "Yes, fine, cookies, but leave a dozen!"

As Jack snagged two cookies off the rack, beaming with pleasure, John grabbed some, putting them in a baggie and handing them to the Colonel. “Here, for your Rodney and Teyla.”

“It’s been good to meet you,” the Colonel said, offering his hand to John and then Timmy. 

“Likewise,” John said. “And you really should give it a try. I think you’ll be pleased.”

“Try? What should he try?” 

John pulled Rodney to him, giving him a fast kiss. “I’ll explain when you guys get back.” 

"Mrs. Nagano's out deadheading her roses. If she asks why you didn't run today, you had to go in early." Timmy gave him a surprisingly critical look. "I'm not sure what you should say about the uniform."

The Colonel had a feeling his mouth gaped open for a moment, as he tried to figure out why a neighbor would be tracking his alternate's running schedule. "I think I'll avoid long conversations with anyone."

"Good thought. Timmy, why don't you pop over to Ronon's, invite him over for a beer so he doesn't look out the front?" 

Timmy was clearly delighted at the suggestion, and threw a fast "Will do, dad," before darting into the backyard through the glass sliding door, keeping the excited dog outside. 

"Shoo," John said, making a scooting gesture with his hands. 

Ronon paused. "I really live next door?" 

John nodded. "You're a great partner." 

The Colonel heard the front door open, by the sound Rodney and Sam were having a last-minute argument as they stepped out. From the living room, Jack called, "Come on, you two! Time to get you home." 

"Thanks again," the Colonel said, he and Ronon following the others. He'd known for years that alternate universes existed, but hadn't thought much about the various possibilities. What other versions of him might be doing had never seemed relevant to his life. Being the military head of Atlantis satisfied him in ways he'd never even dreamed were possible. Despite the constant dangers, he was happy in Atlantis, and ready to return to the Pegasus Galaxy and the fight against the Wraith. But to know that he and Rodney were living in domestic bliss, raising a son together...well, John's advice was certainly worth contemplating. 

~ the end  
  



End file.
